322 



THE OSAGE TRIBE. 



[BTH. ANN. 38 



Deee Songs. 



Two titles were given by the No°'-ho°-z]ii°-ga to the next group 

 of songs: Ta Wa-tho", Deer Songs, and Ta Gi'-bo" Wa-tho", Songs 

 for Calling the Deer. These titles indicate the significance of this 

 little animal to the Osage, for it gave them food and clothing and 

 the sinew which the women used for sewing and the men for fastening 

 the feathers to their arrows. The deer occupies an important place 

 in the tribal industries as well as in the sacred rites that deal with 

 the mysteries of life. The season for himting the deer was opened 

 with solemn ceremonies, supplicatory in character, by which the 

 No^'-ho^-zhi^-ga call the deer that have already come into bodily 

 existence, as well as those that are yet to be born. It is this sacred 

 rite to wliich the Deer Songs refer particularly. 



A free translation of one line only of each stanza of Song 1 will 

 suffice to give its meaning. 



.M. J r 



84 



Song 1. 



(Osage version, p. 500; literal translation, p. 619.) 



Transcribed by Alice C.Fletcher 



^ 



^ 



T=F^ 



my I J n.r^ 



T^r — r — r — ^~^ ^ - 



Time beats I ' ' ' f f f T T T 



Ho"-dahami''-dsehe, Ho° -da ha mi"-dse he, Ho''-dahanii"-dsehe, 



* — • •• r r 



r r r r 



4 



r r ^ r r 



Ho" - da ha mi°-dae he 



r r r , 



Ho° - da ha nii"-dse he. 



FREE TRANSLATION. 

 1. 



We ask for a bow. V/e ask for a bow, etc. 



2. 

 We ask for an arrow. We ask for an arrow, etc. 



3. 

 We ask for it (the deer) to come. We ask for it to come, etc. 



4. 



Then we ask to go forth. Then we ask to go forth, etc. 



In Song 2 the word Ha-we frequently occurs. It is an exclama- 

 tion, an expression of grateful pleasure, for which no English equiva- 



